This past week my oldest son passed a magical milestone: he learned to ride a bike.

All. By. Himself.

We took his training wheels off last Sunday and then starting last Tuesday we rode his bike to and from school each day. By Thursday it all clicked and he was off to the races!

As I walked home from dropping him at school Friday morning, I reflected on how teaching him to ride a bike offered me a refresher course in an area I sometimes struggle with: acquiring and mastering a new skill.

The lessons enumerated (below) reminded me we all are capable, even this old dog, of learning new tricks. This is what it takes:

Find a coach. Will didn’t try to figure out how to ride a bike on his own. He naturally looked to others who knew how to do it for help and guidance. Why do we grownups forget to do that?

Have a clear goal in mind. Will set out to acquire the skill of riding a bike. He knew it was possible because he was starting to see other boys his age do it. There was no question in either of our minds that we would keep trying until he learned how to do it.

Be realistic. Will wasn’t chasing some fantasy of becoming a BMX racing super star. He kept his eye on the simple prize of riding without training wheels by himself. (Ahem, note to self: your fantasy goals such as, say, cooking dinner like Julia Child or having Demi Moore’s physique, may actually keep you from getting started or cause you to give up before you get very far.)

Do a little bit every day. Every, single sunny day last week we’d ride his bike to & from school, about three-quarters of a mile. It was far enough to give him a real opportunity to practice. But not so far that it was overwhelming for either of us.

Celebrate mini-milestones: We shouted with glee the first time he rode even 2 seconds without mom’s help. We kept counting and did a little dance when hit hit 6 seconds, 13 seconds, 53 seconds…and then whooped it up like madmen when he hit 4 minutes.We took video on our smart phones on Wednesday too, so he could “see” his progress.

Continually optimize after you master the basics. Only after Will figured out how to ride steadily did we start teaching him things like how to push off from standing by himself. I’m sure we’ll keep finding new ways to “up” his skill in the months and years ahead.

What kinds of life lessons have your kids taught you in the course of learning new skills?

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1 Response to Teach your kid how to tackle just about anything

banasays:

October 24, 2011 at 9:46 am

Congratulations!!!
The most valuable lesson my daughter learns is:
that every new skill is difficult to master;
patience and persistence;
being frustrated doesn’t help at all;
sometimes we don’t notice small steps but we are still making progress;
mistakes are ok

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